SLAP.

A slap landed on Wu Hu's face. The Government Official's sturdy body, impervious to cudgels and flaming sticks, was sent flying by this mere slap, crashing heavily to the ground with rattling chains and shackles.

Wu Hu fell to the ground with a THUD. His neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and a bright red handprint appeared on his face.

"You!" Clutching his swollen cheek in disbelief, Wu Hu spat out two dislodged teeth. He glared, growling indistinctly, "You Scissor-Haired Wild Fox Taoist, how dare you hit me?!"

SLAP.

Another slap sent Wu Hu rolling two meters away, tumbling to the Yamen entrance where he vomited a pool of fresh blood. He was then bounced back into the Yamen's main hall by Li Ang's Fragment Scatter skill.

Li Ang grabbed Wu Hu by the collar, lifting him into the air. He tilted his head, seemingly contemplating where to strike next for optimal effect.

The Government Officials on either side had never expected this polite Xi Menzi to be so violent. Even Prefect Ma Bonde was taken aback.

Wu Hu, too, was frightened and apprehensive. He truly felt the icy chill of killing intent and struggled to say, "The White Lotus Cult has countless believers throughout the world, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Do you not fear death for laying a hand on me?"

"What is there to fear about death? One isn't dead before death comes, and one cannot fear it after death. This is philosophy, something you'd find hard to understand."

Li Ang shook his head. He pinched and shattered Wu Hu's humerus and femur. Amidst Wu Hu's anguished screams, Li Ang asked again, "Will anyone come to save you?"

"I don't know, AHHH—"

Wu Hu's features twisted in agony. He had already activated the Spell taught by the Holy White Lotus, rendering him impervious to blades and stronger than steel. It could only be nullified if he were splashed with filth like black dog's blood.

What was the origin of this short-haired Taoist?!

Not receiving the desired answer, Li Ang sighed. He crushed Wu Hu's bones until they were finer than the fragments of a snapped ice pop. Wu Hu's harrowing screams even drowned out the cries of the Xu Family from Zhuangsang Town, outside the Yamen.

After another round of interrogation, Wu Hu still remained silent. Li Ang threw him to the ground, reached for the envelope, and briefly scanned the letter inside.

The letter appeared to be from a wife to her husband. It mentioned that all was well at home and he needn't worry. Their son was excelling at the private school, and the relative who borrowed money last year had recently repaid it. With the weather turning cold, she advised her husband, who was away, to wear more clothes.

Li Ang glanced over the letter and closed his eyes in thought for a moment. He then picked up the copy of *The Analects* from the package and quickly flipped through its pages.

The letter was actually a coded message. The secret message could only be deciphered by combining text from various chapters of *The Analects*.

The decoded message revealed a meeting scheduled for the following night at a ruined temple outside Goose City.

Li Ang put away the letter and said to Wu Hu, "Who is supposed to meet you at the ruined temple tomorrow?"

"How do you know..."

Wu Hu's complexion changed drastically. He immediately shut his mouth and clenched his teeth, looking less like a criminal under severe torture and more like a loyal Hero determined to die rather than submit.

"Heh."

Li Ang chuckled, opting against wasting more words. It seems this man's head is filled with nothing but the Holy White Lotus, he thought. Typical torture methods are unlikely to make him talk anytime soon.

"Prefect Ma," Li Ang turned to look at Ma Bonde, "when can the Martial Guards arrive?"

"Ah?" Ma Bonde was momentarily stunned. Realizing the situation, he hurriedly said, "I've already sent word via talisman paper. They should arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Then I'll take responsibility for guarding the suspect tonight," Li Ang nodded. "To prevent the White Lotus Demon Cultivators from harming innocents, please clear out a cell in the dungeon for him."

"You wish to guard him personally?" Ma Bonde said delightedly. "Very well, I shall go arrange that immediately."

Prefect Ma rose from his chair. He ordered his subordinates to drag the crippled Wu Hu into the dungeon and clean up the bloodstains Wu Hu had left in the Yamen's main hall. The items were placed back into the package as evidence, and Prefect Ma then went to the County Government's dungeon to prepare a cell.

The Government Officials bustled about. Prefect Ma walked up to Li Ang and whispered, "Taoist Master, does that White Lotus thief have accomplices?"

Li Ang nodded, "Hmm, he likely does."

Ma Bonde licked his dry lips. "The letter mentioned that the White Lotus thief is to meet at the ruined temple. Should I deploy soldiers to set an ambush there?"

"No need," Li Ang gestured towards the Yamen. "With all the commotion here, the White Lotus thieves aren't fools. Why would they still go to the ruined temple as planned?"

"Besides, ordinary soldiers are of little use against these demon cultivators."

Ma Bonde was speechless. No matter how many precautions are taken, one can never be fully prepared for such sly trickery, he thought. Ordinary people have no resistance against their sinister and insidious demonic arts.

Li Ang said, "If this Wu Hu is truly valuable, White Lotus Cult members might attempt a jailbreak tonight. Prefect Ma, you should take your family to a safe and hidden place."

"Yes, yes." Ma Bonde nodded eagerly. Then, as if recalling something, he hesitated. "Taoist Master, do you need me to dispatch weapons from the Martial Guards' arsenal?"

"You can do that?" Li Ang was somewhat surprised. "Isn't it illegal?"

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Ma Bonde declared with conviction. "In this remote and backward place, we're not so particular about formalities."

The times were corrupt. Prefect Ma had long heard rumors that many weapons from the Martial Guards' arsenal—such as the Soul-suppressing Nail, Evil-Exorcising Talismans, and Demon-Slaying Arrows—were likely being illicitly sold off by the soldiers themselves.

"Alright, if you can dispatch them, do so." Li Ang nodded. I am quite interested in the Magic Artifacts of this world, he thought.

"Prefect…" Zhao Liu, who had been standing nearby, approached cautiously. "What should a commoner like me do?"

"You?" Ma Bonde contemplated for a moment. "You have tarnished your reputation, but not your integrity. This time, I will overlook your thievery. Go home for now. In a few days, the reward for your courageous act from the prefecture or county should be delivered to your family."

"Reward?" Zhao Liu's face lit up with a smile, which quickly faded into a worried frown. He hesitated, "This commoner... this commoner... could I be targeted for revenge by the White Lotus Cult?"

"HA!" Ma Bonde laughed. "If they want revenge, they'll target the Yamen first. You're just an idler; seeking revenge on you would be beneath them. Go home."

A Government Official led the bewildered Zhao Liu out through the main gate. Outside, the Xu Family, still ignorant of the events inside the Yamen, saw the County Government doors open. They watched as the suspect Wu Hu was dragged by officials into a side chamber like a dead dog. The family stood in a throng outside the County Government, all talking at once, loudly asking Prefect Ma what had happened.

"Please, calm yourselves, calm yourselves." Prefect Ma approached the Xu Family members, gesturing with his hands. He said kindly, "The evidence is irrefutable, with both witnesses and physical proof. The suspect, Wu Hu, has confessed. Sentencing will occur as soon as the official documents arrive from the Judicial Department."

"That's wonderful, wonderful!" An old man in fine clothes, apparently the patriarch of the Xu Family, wiped away tears. "Then, Prefect Ma, the child my poor daughter-in-law was carrying…"

"This…" Ma Bonde turned to glance at the porcelain jar, which officials were now placing into the evidence package. He gritted his teeth and said, "The child cannot be returned to you just yet."

The Xu Family members grew anxious and distressed again. Overwhelmed by the tragedy, they only wanted to conclude matters quickly and lay Lady Xu and her child to rest.

"The murderer has been caught, why can't we have the child?"

"Yes, indeed!"

Ma Bonde was in a difficult position. The infant killed by Wu Hu was crucial evidence, possibly linked to a larger conspiracy by the White Lotus Cult.

Ma Bonde's plan was to temporarily suppress the news. He would hide from the Xu Family the fact that the murderer was a White Lotus Cult adherent. Tonight, Li Ang would guard the suspect. In the morning, once the Martial Guards arrived in Goose City and ensured everything was secure, he would inform the deceased's family and return the infant.

Ma Bonde expended considerable effort to calm the Xu Family members. After they dispersed, he looked up at the couplets hanging on the pillars of the three-bay main hall.

To gain an office is not for glory; to lose an office is not a disgrace. Do not say an official is useless; the entire locality depends on that one official.

Eating the people's food, wearing the people's clothes; never say the people can be bullied, for you yourself are one of them.

The plaque read, "Justice, National Laws, Human Sentiments."

HEH.

Ma Bonde shook his head with a wry smile. He called loudly for his subordinates to prepare a horse, then headed towards the Martial Guards' arsenal.

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